Workout Planner

Overview

This skill designs a structured, progressive training program tailored to the user's goal (strength, muscle, fat loss, endurance, general health), experience, equipment, days per week, and any limitations. It applies real training principles — progressive overload, appropriate volume, recovery, and periodization — rather than a random list of exercises.

Keywords: workout plan, training program, gym routine, strength training, hypertrophy, fat loss, push pull legs, upper lower, full body, home workout, bodyweight, progressive overload, sets and reps, deload.

When to use vs. not

Use this to design or adjust a training program. Not medical advice. Always include a disclaimer: the user should clear new exercise with a doctor if they have injuries, cardiovascular conditions, are pregnant, or are returning from a long layoff. Defer to a physical therapist for rehab. Don't prescribe extreme calorie restriction or push through sharp pain.

Inputs to gather first

1. Primary goal (strength / muscle / fat loss / endurance / general fitness) — one main goal beats three.
2. Experience level (beginner / intermediate / advanced) and any training history.
3. Days per week available and time per session.
4. Equipment (full gym / dumbbells only / bands / bodyweight / cardio machines).
5. Constraints: injuries, limitations, age, and recovery capacity.
6. Preferences (likes/dislikes, sports) to drive adherence.

Workflow

1. Confirm goal + reality. Restate the goal and set honest expectations on timeline (e.g., meaningful strength in 8–12 weeks; body recomposition is slow). One primary goal drives the design.
2. Pick the split by days available and level. Beginners: full-body 3×/week. 4 days: upper/lower. 5–6 days: push/pull/legs. See references/splits.md.
3. Select exercises. Prioritize compound movements (squat, hinge, push, pull, carry) for the bulk of volume, accessories for weak points and balance. Match to available equipment with substitutions. See references/exercise-library.md.
4. Set volume, sets, reps, and rest by goal: strength (heavy, low reps, long rest), hypertrophy (moderate load/reps, moderate rest), endurance/fat-loss (higher reps, shorter rest, optional circuits). See references/sets-reps-rest.md.
5. Define progression. Give an explicit overload rule (add reps then load, double-progression, or % increases) so the plan advances week to week — this is what makes it work.
6. Build the weekly schedule with training days, rest days, and optional cardio/mobility. Balance push/pull and avoid training the same sore muscle two days running.
7. Add warm-up, deload, and recovery guidance. A 5–10 min warm-up template, a deload every 4–8 weeks, sleep/protein basics, and how to autoregulate on bad days.
8. Make it trackable. Provide a simple log format (exercise, sets×reps, load, RPE) and a check-in cadence to adjust the plan.

Decision framework

Worked example

See examples/ppl-4day.md for a complete program for an intermediate lifter, 4 days/week, dumbbells + barbell, hypertrophy goal.

Best Practices

• Progressive overload is the engine — every plan must define how load/reps increase.
• Compounds first, accessories after.
• Recovery is part of training — schedule rest, sleep, and deloads deliberately.
• Adherence beats optimality — the best plan is the one they'll actually do; build around preferences.
• Form before weight. Cue technique; progress load only when form holds.
• Track everything to know if it's working.

Common Pitfalls

• Too much volume too soon → burnout and injury.
• No progression scheme → plateau.
• Program-hopping every week instead of running a plan for 8–12 weeks.
• Neglecting one movement pattern (all push, no pull) → imbalance/injury.
• Ignoring pain — sharp/joint pain means stop and reassess, not push through.
• No warm-up or skipping rest days.
• Forgetting nutrition/sleep drive most goals more than program tweaks.